"Whereas the tourist generally hurries back home at the end of a few weeks or months, the traveler, belonging no more to one place than the next, moves slowly, over periods of years from one part of the earth to another." -Paul Bowles

Sunday, 2 February 2014

"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien

The theme for today reminds me of a quote I keep on my blog home page, by James Baldwin: "I met a lot of people on holiday. I even encountered myself." In some ways, I feel like I've grown into my adult self since moving to Australia; becoming a wife, homeowner and permanently settling in my forever home has not only been confronting, but stabilising. I always knew I wanted to live somewhere other than Chicago, even if just for a trial period. As much as I wanted to experience living in another country, I also wanted to escape the bitter cold of the Midwest winters, which keep you inside for months at a time. Add that to my love of travel, and it was a given that I'd end up somewhere else. In the beginning, it's all an adventure. Then one day, years down the road, you look up and realise...this is it. The adventure is over, and it's just plain old life. Same shite, different country, but you're all grown up. The past 10 years have blown by, your greys are getting well and plenty, and people back 'home' say you talk different now.

2 comments:

I've lived away from Louisiana for over 20 years now and I still haven't lost my accent. All I have to do is open my mouth and everyone here knows that I'm a foreigner. Not always sure how I feel about that. Do people like my accent because it makes me unique or as a butt for their jokes? At this point, I don't care. I just laugh along with them.

Australia

About Me

The adventures of an American expat living in Australia with her Aussie husband, looking for tips on yoga centres, people to swap recipes and gardening tips with, and to meet up with other childfree by choicers and/or expats to Adelaide.

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"Life in a foreign country is a dance of submission and resistance. Self-knowledge comes in small repeated shocks as you find yourself giving in easily, with a struggle, or not at all." -Rhiannon Paine